


The Mooncrier

by Halcyon_Storm



Category: Original Work
Genre: Creatures, Fantasy, Gen, Medieval, Moon, Mythology - Freeform, Spirit - Freeform, Suicide, ancient, wolf - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 08:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halcyon_Storm/pseuds/Halcyon_Storm
Summary: The first story in a collection known as 'The Peacebringer'. A mysterious traveler encounters a young boy about to commit to a most tragic act, and decides to tell him a story to persuade the boy to rethink his options. The storyteller's tales are full of mythical creatures and fantastical creatures, and always seem to contain the answer to the listener's predicament.





	1. Prologue - part one

A cold and dry wind forced its way through the narrow alleyways of a long-forgotten town, the wooden shutters clattering against the windows of the sleeping townsfolk. The few hanging lanterns that were still lit provided the only source of light, as the clouded skies covered any potential moonlight from shining down upon the cobblestone streets.  
During the day, these streets were filled with the voices of the people going about their daily chores, chatting with their neighbours about trifling matters, buying and selling goods at the market square, and cursing out the occasional vagrant begging for some spare change to buy a fair meal.  
The nights, however, were quiet. Devoid of any sounds other than those brought about by the howling wind itself.  
Except on this one night, there was one more sound that could be heard. The footsteps of a tall, cloaked figure, wandering about the empty roads of the village outskirts, echoed between the houses, creating an ominous resonance. They wore a hood that concealed their face entirely, save for the few strands of long, black hair that managed to escape their hidden state with a gust of wind. Under their arm they held a large book with a lock on it.  
The night was a treacherous time to be roaming outside. Even the aforementioned beggars would find some place of shelter in an abandoned warehouse or unused shed. There was a clear unwritten rule that everyone in town abided by: daytime is for the people; night-time is for the creatures.  
No one knew exactly who these ‘creatures’ were, but most everyone was satisfied leaving it that way. A long, long time ago, these stories of mythical entities were alive and well-known, deeply engrained into the minds of all who lived in these cities. Parents would tell them to their children before bed-time, and drunken men at the local pub would brag to their peers about having seen a mystical being somewhere.  
In the present-day, these stories are no longer alive. Nobody knows the names of these creatures, or what their legends are. Their legacies have been swept away by the winds of time. Even still, some of the customs that were born from their tales have remained, such as the strict curfew when the sun has set. No sane man was brave enough to wander about at their leisure when the skies were dark.  
Our cloaked traveller, however, seemed not to take note of these customs, going from streets to street, looking around ceaselessly. On one hand, it appeared as if they were on some sort of quest; a mission to find something inside the town walls. However, by their mannerisms and the pace of their walk, there didn’t seem to be any sort of urgency present.  
The mysterious visitor continued their walk to the western edges of the town, where Coldsnap Haven was located. The harbour got its name because of the unbroken cold weather that was ever-present anywhere around Lake Karona, one of the four Great Lakes present in the land. Just like in the rest of town, the perpetual quietude of the area provided a stark contrast with the usual loudness of the seamen and harbour workers hauling crates of goods on and off the boats.  
With every breath, a small cloud formed in front of the traveller’s face. They paused for a moment, and scanned the area for something. Aside from the few ships that had anchored for the night, softly swaying with the motions of the water, the only other notable place was Winter’s Edge, located just behind the main port.  
Winter’s Edge was a lookout built on a small hill, from which you could see the vast landscape ahead, and in the distance the faraway mountains towering above anything else in sight. The lookout was a popular place for young couples, due to its romantic view. It also didn’t share the cold climate that reigned over most of the surrounding areas, making it a pleasant spot to spend time at with a loved one.  
After having stood in silence for a while, the cloaked figure continued their journey towards Winter’s Edge, however now at an increased speed from before. The aimless wandering from before had turned into a brisk pace as they climbed the stairs leading up to the observation deck. Once they had reached the top, they slowed down once more, not wanting to scare the young man that was standing at the very edge of the platform, his hands tightly gripping the steel railing that prevented people from falling off the cliff. The boy, however, was already standing on the wrong side of the fence.


	2. Prologue - part two

The thick bed of clouds above was starting to shift, giving the cloaked individual a better look at the child standing there, clutching the steel bars in his hands. The boy was small in stature and had an undeniably scrawny physique. The white and blue colours of his outfit betrayed his occupation as a Coldsnap Haven worker.  
Working at the haven was no light task. Besides the regular goods like food and herbs, Coldsnap was commonly used for transferring raw minerals. Particularly gold and silver were transported here from the mines a while away from the town walls, and loaded onto ships here to be distributed throughout the land. These materials were incredibly heavy, so for a child of his build to be providing a valuable contribution to the port seemed unlikely.  
He couldn’t possibly be a day older than 16, so for someone like this to be standing here, at the very edge of the observation deck, with nothing but a certain death waiting beneath, was nothing short of tragic. The traveller carefully approached him as to not scare him into doing something regrettable, but the young boy’s senses turned out to be sharper than expected.  
“Why are you here? It’s dangerous to be out at night-time.” His voice was shrill yet soft, as if he was trying to whisper, but failing at doing so.  
“You are right, the night is a perilous time. It is reserved for the creatures of myth.” The traveller’s voice was deep, reaching far into the distance without forcing loudness. However, it was also very soothing and pleasant to listen to. He was now standing next to the boy, on the other side of the fence.  
The boy didn’t respond, so together they looked out over the vast lands ahead of them. In the distance they could see two great mountain peaks, towering above anything else in sight. One was covered in snow, while the other was barren and desolate. In between them, there was a circle of smaller mountain peaks, concealing what was hidden in the centre of it all.  
“A beautiful view, is it not?” the traveller asked.  
The young boy looked up at him, wondering why he wouldn’t just leave. “Sure, I guess.”  
“Say, do you happen to have any plans for when the sun rises again?”  
The boy looked away again. For him, there wouldn’t be another sunrise. There wouldn’t have been anything by now, if it wasn’t for this strange hooded man approaching him in the middle of the night. A silence fell over Winter’s Edge.  
“Well, in that case,” the traveller continued, “perhaps you’d like me to tell you a story.”  
The boy looked at him questioningly. There was something up with this guy, he thought. Not in an untrustworthy way, but something strange nonetheless.  
“You’ll have to join me on this side of the fence though, it’s too long a story to just be standing there. Let us take a seat under the Evertree.” He reached out his hand towards the boy. He paused for a moment, and then took hold of the hand and climbed the railing back onto the safer side.  
The Evertree was a massive evergreen tree in the middle of Winter’s Edge. It was used in the yearly Festival of Lights, when they set the branches of the tree on fire and watched it burn down to the trunk, after which the fire would naturally die out. Then, over the course of the following year, it would regrow all of its branches, and the cycle would repeat.  
The two walked to the centre of the platform, where they took seat under the cover of the Evertree. The cloaked traveller tapped on his book lightly, upon which the lock on the side unlocked, allowing the book to be opened.  
“Do you know the story of the two mountain peaks?” He asked, casually flipping through the pages of the book.  
The boy looked at the mountains in the distance. “You mean Kuron and Shiron Peak? I know their names, but that’s about it. I didn’t know there was a story to them.”  
The traveller laughed. “I didn’t expect you to. I may well be the only person around who still knows of their tale. I have told this story many times, but I’ll gladly repeat myself, so history does not.”  
And with that, the mysterious figure started his story. His voice was inviting, making the boy listen to his every word with absolute concentration. Before long, he was taken to a time and place far away, where the creatures of night-time roamed far and wide. A time where stories were created daily. And one of these stories was that of the Mooncrier.


End file.
